UNIT GAME Sunday, August 13

Lecture at 12:45 – Lunch at 1pm – Game at 1:30 pm

AUGUST UNIT GAME: Come one, come all to the Unit Game on August 13…same time, same station.

We love it when you come out for the Unit Games. Don’t forget that Frank Bartlett will be giving a short lecture at 12:45. Maybe you’ll learn something new or re-remember something you forgot!

JUNE UNIT GAME RESULTS: There were eighteen tables of players who turned out for the Unit Game in June that played in two sections. The OA results: 1st, Bea & John Bralliar, 2nd, Verna Baccus & Betty McClellan, tied for 3rd and 4th, Jo Daigle & Frank Bartlett and Bee Kinman & Jon Yinger, 5th, Jan Wagner & Lavonne McQuilkin and 6th Baum Harris & T.S. Chermuchin. Frank Bartlett was in charge of refreshments.

NEW STATUS & NEW MEMBERS: Geraldine and Bernard Landes along with Wally Simmons, Miranda Kwan and George Norman are our newest members. Welcome to Unit 557! We’ve had several members change their status according to the monthly report. Newest Junior Master is Donna Sappia. Emily Lane and Bill Rawlings are new Club Masters. Beverly Lyse and Arlene Spatz have become new Sectional Masters. Our newest NABC Masters are Hank Dunbar, David Goetz, Kevin Lane and Jan Wagner. Earl Van Der Vord is now a Silver Life Master.

This month we had a first (we think) for the unit when not one but two of our married couples became Life Masters. Sue and Keith Hafen and Lynn and Curt Johnson all became Life Masters.

We were delighted to see that Keith (our webmaster) is playing with his wife, Sue, and their interest in bridge continues. Selfish maybe but Keith’s continued interest will, just perhaps, keep our wonderful website www.acblunit557.org going. (We hope, we hope.)

Curt says that the “Life” in Life Master has even more meaning for him since in April while playing in the San Diego Pacific SW Regional he lost consciousness. Through the quick thinking of two nearby players who immediately started CPR, they were able to save Curt’s life. He and Lynn continued their “MP quest” to make it to Life Master this past month.

Congratulations to all of you for your “superb” bridge playing!

70+% GAMES: Bonnie O'Donnell & Shirley Tavlin, 73.75%; Jo & John Melis, 73%; Louise Sperr & Tom Cotton, 70.83%. Now I ask you, do these run in spurts or what? One month we have lots of 70+% games and the next, not so many. Keep up the good bridge playing!

THIS MONTH AT THE CLUB: This month brings some interesting twists. Besides the Unit Game on Sunday the 13th, the Monday Team Game has been moved to coincide with the Western Conference Strati-Flighted Open and NLM Silver Point Swiss on August 21 at 7 pm. (Our club owners are always thinking of you.) So get your team together and come out to win some silver! Also this month on August 31 at the 12:30 pm game is your last chance to qualify for the Stratified North American Pairs. The card fees for the NA Pairs game are $9.

The Saturday Jackpot game now has winners. The club decided to award the $250 accumulated jackpot to the pair with the highest score on a Saturday game in June if no pair scored the 70% to win it outright. Phyllis Parker and Sallie Jac Shafer came mighty close to that by scoring a 68.75% game and winning the loot. If we remember correctly Phyllis won it last time it was won. Who says playing well isn’t profitable! Congratulations on your winnings, girls!

NLM LESSONS: Don’t forget the NLM lessons – a “gift” to the NLM’s from the Unit – are at noon on Tuesdays preceding the afternoon game. We believe that Steve Sulzby is teaching them again and thank Frank Bartlett for generously stepping in when Steve couldn’t teach for several weeks.

CONDOLENCES AND GET WELL: Just as the last column was submitted, we learned that Jean Matz’s husband, Al passed away. We were sorry and offer our sympathy to Jean and her family. We also heard the Ian Screen has passed away and offer his family our condolences as well.

We have several of our players ill, ailing and recovering. Paul Pettler has had bypass surgery (who will help clean up now?) and is recovering nicely. Dwayne James has been hospitalized with some serious problems and we send our best wishes to him. Our “matriarch” Mary Jane Jones has also been very ill. Get well, Mary Jane! We also heard that Paul Reichenbach has been in an accident so we send him our “Get Well” wishes. And we’re glad to see that Baum Harris is recovering nicely from back surgery.

Ruth White is moving to Oregon and will be sorely missed by her friends and partners. George Welsh tells me that he just celebrated his grandson’s first birthday in Temecula. Didn’t we just write that child was born?

We considered doing a column on “Where in the world are Pam Kirkner and Bob Lavery” because they travel so much but decided we might get sued by the Today Show’s Matt Lauer for copyright infringement. Our second consideration was that we barely have time to keep track of unit members who are here let alone globetrotters like Pam and Bob. Bob tells me they have a new kitten and now are the “parents” of an upstairs cat and a downstairs cat. That doesn’t reflect on their economic status but on cat territory issues they hope to be soon ironed out.

For any news items you would like in the column, my email is golfgal@charter.net and my phone number is 562-434-8993. Thanks again for all the reporters out there that give me bridge news.